SIERRA VISTA, Ariz. (KGUN) — Fort Huachuca is the home of the Buffalo Soldiers, who were first stationed in the southwest in 1877. They consisted of units that were all men of color.
"If there were thousands of Buffalo Soldiers, there are probably that many stories,” said one member of the Southwest Association of Buffalo Soldiers, Charles Hancock.
Some will argue that the Buffalo Soldiers helped lay the foundation for the southwest part of the United States, but there isn't much known about the Buffalo Soldiers.
"The contributions of African Americans from the time that they arrived here in 1619, until now, they were instrumental in every aspect of American life,” Hancock said.
The Buffalo Soldiers helped build Camp Huachuca, now known as Fort Huachuca, and monitored the southern border at Camp Naco.
"When the (Native Americans) started telling their story about this new breed of soldier that they had encountered, they say, fought like a wounded buffalo," Hancock said. "They said 'we shot him, we stabbed him with our spear, but like the buffalo, he would not die'.”
The soldiers were tasked with making sure Native Americans stayed on the reservation. Those at Camp Naco acted as border patrol during the Spanish-Mexican War.
"This was the first paycheck that these men would have earned," Hancock. "It gave them an opportunity to better their lives.”
When asked why not much is known about the Buffalo Soldiers, Hancock says the answer is simple.
"To be perfectly honest with you, racism and discrimination,” he said.
The Southwest Association of Buffalo Soldiers provides education and motivation to community members using the values of the Buffalo Soldiers. Hancock says they tell the stories of the past, so they aren’t forgotten.
"The old story, if you don't know your history, you don't know where you come from, you're subject to repeat the past, so it's important that we continue to tell the story about the legacy of the Buffalo Soldiers and the critical role that they played in helping to establish the southwest,” he said.
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Alexis Ramanjulu is a reporter in Cochise County for KGUN 9. She began her journalism career reporting for the Herald/Review in Sierra Vista, which she also calls home. Share your story ideas with Alexis by emailing alexis.ramanjulu@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook.
